giving thanks

This year, I spent my favorite holiday thousands of miles away from home. Thanksgiving is a celebration of family and of sharing rich, heart-warming comfort foods with those we love. In Seoul this Thanksgiving, my new family of friends and i put together a vegetarian thanksgiving feast warm enough to fill any expatriate's heart and belly with all the memories of food and family they can handle.

We and 20 other eaters from our community gathered around a warm stove this last Saturday, cooking together, reflecting on thanksgiving memories, and sharing a meal of beautiful seasonal food. on the menu:

mulled winewarm leek and apple salad with wasabi vinaigrette
sweet potato latkes with persimmon chili chutney
pumpkin risotto with homemade ricotta
pumpkin bread
ginger snaps
persimmon kombucha
and of course... ryan's mama's apple pie :)

It was an event to remember and a very satisfying way to share a most beloved tradition with new friends from around the world. 

WARMTH | a vegetarian thanksgiving feast

Fall is here, pilgrims, and the holiday season is just around the corner. It's time to bid farewell to our beloved bowls of mul nangmyeon and usher in a new season of WARM foods and cozy ondol-heated evenings. And what better way to do that than to gather around a WARM stove with other food lovers in Seoul, just in time for American Thanksgiving?

We can't think of a better way... so we're doing it. On Saturday November 2oth, at the O'ngo Food Communications School in Insadong, we're hosting a vegetarian feast around the theme of WARMTH. Join us for a hearty taste of seasonal vegetarian foods, from WARM mulled libations to a WARM apple dessert.

30,000w per person includes a WARM apertif, four courses of seasonal comfort foods and good company. Bring a homemade vegetarian dish of your own and get in for 20. (note that the cooking studio has a handful of ovens, so let your imagination run wild here).

Come early if you'd like to help cook the meal and swap a few tricks for preparing new Thanksgiving recipes with Korea's bounty of fruits and veggies. And regardless, be sure to bring your own WARM memories from Thanksgivings and falls past to share!

persimmon chutney

the first frost has fallen and it's getting cold here in korea. while the ginko and maple trees are dying a vibrantly colored death, the persimmon trees have already lost their foliage and look like naked christmas trees ornamented in bright orange globes of glass. this time of year, all the persimmon trees are decorated with fruit and, as a result of the practical korean tradition of giving food as gift (a tradition i wholeheartedly intend to take with me), we have received many a bag of the sweet autumn fruit.
their sweetness is perfect enough eaten fresh but, with so many rapidly ripening persimmons to work with, i was inspired to use them in almost everything i ate this month. here are some of my favorite ways to enjoy persimmons and i hope you will enjoy them too...

frozen and eaten with a spoon... a natural sorbet!
spiced apple and persimmon compote with yogurt.


persimmon chili chutney...

6 fuyu persimmons, peeled and diced
1 lemon, juiced and 1 inch of peel retained
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
6 whole cloves
8 peppercorns
1 green chili, minced
4tbs vinegar
1t salt
½ cup sugar
¼ cup Water
1tsp cumin seeds

simmer the cumin seeds, cloves, peppercorns, chili, salt and sugar in the vinegar, lemon juice and water until spices have steeped, about 15 minutes...
add onion, garlic and lemon peel and simmer for an additional 10...
add persimmon and cook over low heat for about 40 minutes until thickened.
serve over anything and everything!